49ers cornerback Perrish Cox shocked by amount of playing time

SANTA CLARA -- Cornerback Perrish Cox has no idea what kind of role he'll play when the 49ers visit the Carolina Panthers Sunday in the playoffs, but he's learned to be ready for anything.

"Basically, I've told people this has been the craziest two months of my life,'' Cox said Tuesday, two days after being pressed into full-time status in a 23-20 road win over the Green Bay Packers.

With Carlos Rogers sidelined with a hamstring injury and Eric Wright showing up on the injury report with a hamstring injury of his own, Cox played 62 of 63 defensive snaps as the 49ers went almost exclusively with a nickel defense.

The 49ers waived Cox on Nov. 12 when Wright was activated, with Cox eventually signing on for two short stints with the Seattle Seahawks. After being released the first time, Cox went home for Thanksgiving and witnessed the birth of his daughter, Carter J. Cox, in Ft. Worth, Texas.

Seattle signed Cox again Dec. 11 and released him Dec. 27, with the 49ers bringing him back Dec. 30 for a bigger role than he's had at any time with the club.

"I was more excited than anything,'' Cox said. "I wasn't nervous. Basically, I just came in, I knew everything and they gave me a chance. The coaches trusted me, my teammates trusted me and I went from there.''

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Cox said the amount of time he played against Green Bay came as a shock and that coaches told him this week "to be prepared for anything -- and after Green Bay, I will be prepared for anything.''

Rogers, while walking to his truck in the parking lot following practice, said he's been running and hopes to play against Carolina.

Wright, who had just five special-team snaps and did not play on defense against the Packers, said he didn't know if his hamstring injury prevented him from playing in Cox's place against Green Bay.

"I think that's something you guys have to ask someone else,'' Wright said. "I got prepared and ready as if I was going to play and I warmed up and was ready to go.''

The possibility of temperatures in the mid-60s range comes as welcome news after the sub-freezing experience of Green Bay.

"I don't want to go back to that,'' tight end Vernon Davis said. "This is going to be great. This is our element, like San Francisco it's going to be what, 50 degrees? Sixty? That's even better.''

Davis heard reports that Carolina wide receiver Steve Smith was disappointed that Charlotte-based professional wrestler Ric Flair had given the 49ers a Saturday night pep talk.

"That's pretty unfortunate for the Panthers," Davis said. "That's Ric Flair's fault. That's his fault. He shouldn't have come to Green Bay to talk to us. They're going to have to take that up with Ric Flair.''